Richard Francis Burton was a Victorian polymath whose varied careers as a soldier, explorer, writer and spy took him on adventures across India, Arabia and Africa.

In this fictionalised account of Burton’s life, Iliya Troyanov depicts his many escapades through the eyes of Burton’s Indian servant; the governor of Mecca, investigating whether Burton is mapping out the land in advance of a British invasion; and the former slave who leads him across Africa.

By shunning academic biography in favour of speculative fiction, Troyanov creates opportunities to explore the mysteries of Burton’s life.

However, these opportunities are mostly missed, because three outsider perspectives prevent us getting any closer to the man.

Yet the novel remains a pleasure to read. It is a witty treatise on the clash of cultures, sumptuously written.

It brings several worlds to life, even if the same can’t be said for its eponymous hero.